A horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory is of the LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB The horse is prepared for the day of battle; but victory is with Yahweh.
- KJV The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.
- NKJV The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance is of the Lord.
- NASB The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But the victory belongs to the Lord.
- NLT The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The horse is readied for battle, but victory belongs to the Lord. It matters because we must prepare responsibly yet trust God for the outcome.
Overview
Human preparation is wise and right, but the result rests in God's hands, not in military might (Psalm 20:7; 33:17). The verse holds together diligent effort and dependence on God. Victory and deliverance come from the Lord, who alone gives success.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Ps 20:7Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
- Isa 31:1Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in their abundance of chariots and in their multitude of horsemen. They do not look to the Holy One of Israel; they do not seek the LORD.
- Ps 33:17–18A horse is a vain hope for salvation; even its great strength cannot save.
- Ps 147:10He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legpower of the man.
- Ps 68:20Our God is a God of deliverance; the Lord GOD is our rescuer from death.
- Ps 3:3But You, O LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head.
- Eccl 9:11I saw something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither is the bread to the wise, nor the wealth to the intelligent, nor the favor to the skillful. For time and chance happen to all.
- Ps 3:8Salvation belongs to the LORD; may Your blessing be on Your people. Selah
- Ps 144:10to Him who gives victory to kings, who frees His servant David from the deadly sword.
- Jer 3:23Surely deception comes from the hills, and commotion from the mountains. Surely the salvation of Israel is in the LORD our God.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 21:31 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.